


After School Special

by dawnperhaps



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-17
Updated: 2012-05-17
Packaged: 2017-11-05 12:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/406408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawnperhaps/pseuds/dawnperhaps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam knows he shouldn’t be eavesdropping on Gabriel’s conversation, but he can’t help himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After School Special

The Novak family is weird.  They’re weird and they’re pretentious.  They all seem to have these weird pretentious, names and they live in a weird, pretentious house and drive weird, pretentious cars.  They’re pretty hard to miss in a small town like Lawrence and many of them are hard to like.  They’re the perfect little family of a billionaire father and they make most people feel like shit without even meaning to, just by existing.  It’s not always their fault.  It’s just the nature of being the town’s golden family.

The issue is that Sam has a thing for one of them.  He can’t help it, really, he just has a type – guys with a sense of humor, fantastic hair, gorgeous eyes – and one of the middle Novak children has all those traits and then some.  Gabriel Novak, like all the Novaks, is really attractive, really funny, and Sam thinks his eyes might actually be made of sunlight.  He’s a little rebellious, maybe, but Sam kind of likes that, too, much to Dean’s dismay.  Sam has had, for lack of a better term, _a crush_ on Gabriel since the first semester of his freshman year.  It’s now the second semester of his sophomore year and the second semester of Gabriel’s senior year, which makes his crush completely silly.  Not only is Gabriel a Novak and, therefore inherently out of his league, he’s also two years older.  And Sam’s not delusional enough to be hung up on him, so he just admires from afar, sneaking glances at lunch and in the hallway, content to let Gabriel stay up on his pedestal while the rest of the mortals, like Sam, wander around beneath him.

Sam walks out of the library at 7pm, exhausted from the school day and the extra hours of work study.  He doesn’t mind the work and it’s nice that he always has some extra time to do his homework, but sometimes he just wants to go home and collapse.  Dean probably left the school as fast as he could, but they live fairly close and Sam normally doesn’t mind walking.  Today, he’s sort of dreading it, but he bought a couple Snickers bars to keep his energy up.

When he hears a voice on his way to the exit, he nearly jumps out of his skin.

_“Hey there, dad.  Thanks for not picking up as usual.  You know how much I rely on consistency in my life.”_

Sam pauses, candy bar still stuck in his mouth, when he realize it is Gabriel Novak’s voice echoing down the hallway.  He’s been working in the library for the past month and a half and not once has he ever run into anyone leaving school.  Even the sports teams are done practicing by the time he finishes all his reading and reorders all the books on the shelves.  Half of the hallways are dark; the janitors turn the lights off around 6:30pm.  The Novaks all seem so busy all the time with extracurricular activities and junior internships, so to find Gabriel standing alone in a dark hallway is the last thing Sam would have ever expected.

He knows he shouldn’t snoop and he thinks he would probably be completely furious if anyone listened in on one of his personal, family conversations, but he finds himself tiptoeing down the hall and stopping at the corner, keeping out of sight as Gabriel continues talking.  Information about the mysterious Novak family is just too good to pass up.  Especially information about Gabriel.

“You know, if the reason you don’t pick up the phone is because you don’t want to tell me straight up to go fuck myself, you oughta know that I already got that message when you never came back from your business trip,” Gabriel is saying, as casually as if he’s talking about the weather, and Sam gapes.  First of all, he can’t even begin to imagine talking to his own father that way, and second of all, he can barely believe he’s hearing it from Gabriel Novak, his personal poster child for perfection.  The Novaks are the ideal family.  They’re rich, talented, and successful.  Gabriel couldn’t be talking to Mr. Novak himself, could he?

“Just wanted to give you an update on everyone.  Castiel is _fantastic_ ,” Gabriel continues, his voice suddenly venomous.  Sam’s never heard Gabriel be anything other than playfully sarcastic and even he cringes at the tone of voice.  “He got the crap kicked out of him yesterday by a couple of guys who called him a fag because he’s dating that Winchester kid.  You know what he asked me?  He wanted to know if I thought _you’d_ be pissed at him.  Yeah, it’s quite the functional little operation you left us with.”

Sam’s heart sinks.  Dean hadn’t told him about Cas.  His brother and the youngest Novak are the school’s newest couple and Sam knows reactions have been mixed, but he never thought there’d be any physical violence, especially with Dean’s reputation of arguing with his fists.  Castiel is a little strange sometimes – all Novaks are a little strange – but he’s one of the sweetest people Sam has ever met.  In fact, after seeing Sam’s daily lunch of cold pizza, Doritos, and root beer, Cas started bringing Sam some of Gabriel’s freshly baked cookies (which did nothing to stave off Sam’s affection for the older Novak).  Sam insists on swapping his soda for them, sometimes, but Castiel never asks.  The idea that anyone could hurt him is so repulsive that Sam feels a little queasy.  He’s only mildly comforted by his confidence that Dean probably hit those guys back, and a lot harder.

“I’m really calling to let you know that Lucifer moved out,” Gabriel says flippantly, although Sam can hear the telltale tightness in his voice.  “No clue where he is.  But he and Michael blew up at each other and he packed a bag.  Took off in the middle of the night, actually.”

Gabriel makes a noise that is supposed to be a laugh, but it’s mangled and bitter and it’s nothing like a laugh.  Not really.

“So, I lost my brother.  So much for best friends forever, huh?  But you don’t really care, do you?”

Sam should leave. Gabriel’s voice is getting louder and he _knows_ he should leave.  He’s caught between sprinting down the hall and turning around the corner.  He is shocked by the realization that, despite all the gossip and the stories of grandeur, Sam’s never actually seen Mr. Novak before.  Not picking them up from school, not at Family Day, not even at football games when Michael was the star quarterback.

“Fifteen times, Dad!  This is the fifteenth fucking time I’ve called you this week,” Gabriel exclaims, very close to yelling but still trying to cling to his sarcasm, to the aloof sort of attitude that he seems to have built his shell out off.  Sam thinks of all the times he remember seeing him laugh at his brothers’ bickering and questions it, wondering if he actually dreads going home.  Sam wants to give him somewhere else to go, wants to introduce him to his dad, wants to bake cookies with him for fun and not just as a distraction.  Sam’s family isn’t always perfect, especially when it comes to money, but he’s always had someone who cares about him, someone to look up to and rely on for support and guidance.  He wishes he could do something to help, but rounding the corner seems like climbing a mountain at the moment, and he’s pretty sure his help wouldn’t be welcomed.

“I can’t do this,” Gabriel says into his phone, and just like that he breaks.  He sounds completely broken and lost and so unfamiliar that Sam’s skin crawls, hating himself even more for eavesdropping on the conversation.  Well, one-sided conversation anyway.

“Our family is falling apart,” the senior continues, followed by the sound of a fist slamming halfheartedly into a locker.  “We needed you back here months ago!  Castiel is dealing with problems far beyond his inability to handle.  Michael and Lucifer are constantly at each others’ throats.  And I can’t keep playing the buffer between everyone!”  A choked off sob that escapes the boy’s throat.  “It sucks, dad, it really just _sucks_ to watch Michael and Lucifer scream at each other and curse at each other and blame each other for every little goddamn thing, when everything is really just fucked up because of _you_!  You’re the one who pitted Michael and Lucifer against each other in the first place.  You’re the one who made everything a competition, who made them battle to get the one or two fucks you actually give about us a year.  You’re the one who left us to lean on each other before we were barely old enough to stand up on our own!”  Sam hears the heavy breathing of someone trying to keep themselves calm, followed by the frustrated growl of someone who has failed to do so.

“Where are you?” Gabriel shouts into his phone.  His voice reverberates down the halls, bouncing off the lockers and crashing into Sam’s chest, making it ache for this kid he’s been secretly pining after, this kid whose life he thought was so perfect.  The silence that follows is almost palpable, broken only by the soft sounds of Gabriel taking deep, unsteady breaths.  Sam thinks for a moment that he hung up, but then he hears his voice again, soft and resigned and dejected.

“Call me back,” Gabriel says, followed by a mirthless chuckle.  “Just kidding.  If you need me, I’ll be busy losing your number.”

Sam peeks around the corner just in time to see Gabriel glare down at his phone for a moment before hurling it across the hallway.  They both watch as it shatters against the wall, different pieces and parts flying across the linoleum floor.  Gabriel stares at the remains like he’s trying to feel better, to take some comfort in the destruction, but then his shoulders sink and his face crumbles and Sam steps into view before he can stop himself, barely even know why.

Gabriel jerks when he notices him in his peripheral vision, staring at him with wide eyes for a moment, probably horrified that some stupid sophomore is now privy to his family deepest, darkest, daddy-issue-infested secrets.  But then that expression shifts almost imperceptibly and the senior leans back against the lockers, hands shoved into his pockets.  The sight is almost comical coupled with the smashed cellphone all over the ground.

“You’re Dean Winchester’s little brother,” is all he says.  It’s not a friendly greeting, but it’s not a judgment either, so Sam takes a few more steps forward.

“Yeah.  Sam,” he introduces himself.

“Gabriel,” the older kid says in return.  “Gabe, usually.”

“I know who _you_ are,” Sam says, nearly choking when he realizes what he said.

Gabriel just chuckles weakly at the sight of Sam’s horrified expression.  “I know who you are, too, Sam.  You’re pretty hard to miss in your class, being as tall as you are.”

Sam doesn’t know how to respond, so he just smiles, hoping that’s not an insult.

“Thank your brother for beating the shit out of those bigoted assholes yesterday for me,” Gabriel adds.

“I will,” Sam promises.  “And… I’m sorry about Cas.”

“He’s a tough kid.  He’ll be okay,” Gabriel tells him, even though his eyes betray his fury.  Despite that, the conversation is inappropriately casual, especially considering everything Sam now knows.  He almost shoves the rest of his Snickers in his mouth to avoid saying all the stupid things he so desperately wants to say, but he doesn’t raise his hand fast enough.

“And, umm,” he starts, hunching his shoulders a little awkwardly.  “I’m sorry about… everything.  If you need to talk or anything, or if you ever need somewhere to go, our door’s always open.  To you and to Cas.”

Gabriel looks over at him with a calculating sort of stare and Sam tries to shrink even more, furious at himself.  If anyone ever caught him screaming at Dean or his dad, the last thing he would want would be some stupid kid to bring it up again.

“You heard?” Gabriel finally asks, deadpan.

“It was sort of hard not to hear.”

Gabriel nods and doesn’t answer, looking content with Sam’s response.  Sam waits for him to beat him up or make him swear to secrecy or even just look at him again, but Gabriel’s eyes stay fixed on the lockers across the hall from him, his stare blank.

“I’ll… leave you alone,” Sam says, hoping to turn tail and get out of there as soon as possible.

“Hey.”

Sam makes himself not fidget when he turns back around, but he’s pretty sure it makes something really weird happen on his face.

“Looks like I might need a new phone,” Gabriel says, smirking at the opportunity to spend his father’s money, Sam’s sure.  “You wanna come with?”

Sam waits for the punch line, but it never comes.  “With you?” he asks incredulously.

“Yeah,” Gabriel says with a shrug.  “We could hit up a diner afterwards, too.  You look like you don’t eat enough cheeseburgers.”

And suddenly Sam’s crush is back in the front of his mind, shining full force, although now he isn’t head over heels for an ideal idea, but for a _person_.  It’s a sweet realization and he might dwell on it later, but right now he just really hopes he’s not blushing.  He knows that this definitely isn’t a date, that it would be completely ridiculous to even dream about it being a date, that a respectful person wouldn’t even be thinking about a date right now… but that doesn’t mean it isn’t kind of a date.

_No, no, no, it’s not a date_ , he hisses at himself internally.

“You know, if you’re into older guys with daddy issues,” Gabriel says with a smirk that looks less intimidating than the ones Sam is used to.  It looks a little sad actually.  Sam finds himself accepting not only because he’d like a goodnight kiss on the doorstep and chocolate chip cookies for lunch every day, but also because he just wants Gabriel to smile again.  And when Sam reaches into his pocket and hands the older boy his extra candy bar, Gabriel does smile and that feels perfect enough for now.


End file.
